CEATEC AWARD 2017
Category Awards Selected

CEATEC JAPAN 2017 being held at Makuhari Messe for four days from October 3 (Tue) to 6 (Fri), has announced the recipients of CATEC AWARD 2017 Category Awards, from exhibits by participating companies and organizations.
Under the exhibition concept of “Connecting Society, Creating the Future”, the CEATEC AWARD 2017 with the aim of promoting the development of the “super-smart society” through CPS/IoT, contributing to the creation and development of new value and markets, and contributing to the invigoration of those related industries, the award review board panel of judges – after a rigorous examination (primary and secondary screening) – have selected the Grand Prix and Semi-Grand Prix (first runner up) for five categories, as well as Review Panel’s Special Award.

CEATEC AWARD 2017 Category Awards are the following five categories:

1) Community Innovation Category:

Applicable exhibits are innovative products, services, systems, or their technologies and concepts that use networks for managing mobility, logistics, commerce, public systems, energy, and town environment, or for creating new business styles, solving problems, and creating safe and sophisticated towns and societies.

2) Home and Lifestyle Innovation Category:

Applicable exhibits are innovative products, services, contents, or their technologies and concepts that connect things, services, and information and help create new values and a better life for families and individuals such as entertainment, health care, and energy management.

3) Innovation Technology and Software Category:

Applicable exhibits are advanced element technologies, parts, device products, materials, software, and technology development concept that achieve CPS/IoT and help the development of new products and technologies and the innovation of various industries.

4) Connected Industries Category:

Applicable exhibits are products, services, systems, or their technologies and concepts that help create an industrial society in which new value is created through various connections, and create added value by solving problems in manufacturing, connections among manufacturers, and between manufacturers and consumers.

5) Open Innovation Category:

Applicable exhibits are solutions for co-creation and innovation that coordinate and combine various ideas, knowledge, know-how, technologies, and data from other companies, external research institutes, other industries and fields, perform innovative research and development, create innovative technologies, products, services, and business models, solve social problems, and create value through new customer experience.

Review Panel’s Special Award:

The Review Panel’s Special Award will be presented upon the recommendations of the Panel.




Category Awards
Product summary and the reason for selection of awarded products follow the list of category awards.

Community Innovation Category

Grand Prix

Origin Wireless Japan, Inc. （Booth Location S30-13）

◆Awarded product
Time Reversal Machine Technology / Origin & Bot System

Semi-Grand Prix

NICHICON CORPORATION （Booth Location H119）

◆Awarded product
Tribrid energy storage system

Home & Lifestyle Innovation Category

Grand Prix

SHARP CORPORATION （Booth Location H117）

◆Awarded product
LCD TV　AQUOS 8K LC-70X500

Semi-Grand Prix

Panasonic AGE-FREE Co., Ltd.（Booth Location C075）

◆Awarded product
Rise Assisting Robot “Resyone Plus”

Semi-Grand Prix

STANLEY ELECTRIC Co., LTD. （Booth Location D360）

◆Awarded product
Ultra Narrow Light Angle 2.5°Type LED Floodlight

Innovation Technology and Software Category

Grand Prix

CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD. （Booth Location H093）

◆Awarded product
World's first Electromagnetic Radiation Color Molding Technology

Semi-Grand Prix

ROHM Co., Ltd. （Booth Location D090）

◆Awarded product
World First Op-Amp without noise countermeasure for Automotive

Connected Industries Category

Grand Prix

NEC Corporation （Booth Location C033）

◆Awarded product
A new computing style with Hearable

Semi-Grand Prix

Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. （Booth Location D157）

◆Awarded product
Piezoelectric Line

Open Innovation Category

Grand Prix

FUJITSU Limited （Booth Location C168）

◆Awarded product
Wearable and hands-free speech translation terminal

Semi-Grand Prix

No applicable product

Review Panel’s Special Award

DISCO Corporation （Booth Location D067）

◆Awarded product
KABRA (High-Speed SiC Wafer Production with Greatly Reduced Material Loss: KABRA Laser Slicing Technology Developed through New Processing Method)





Overviews of selections and appraisals of awarded products

Community Innovation Category

■Grand Prix

Origin Wireless Japan, Inc. （Booth Location S30-13）

◆Awarded product
Time Reversal Machine Technology / Origin & Bot System

◆Product overview
The Origin & Bot system is an IoT solution that uses a spatial recognition engine enabled by Time Reversal Machine technology, based on a completely new concept of using Wi-Fi radio waves as sensors. Without the need for sensors or wearables, this technology enables advanced spatial detection with complex, simultaneous use of multiple spatial detection engines in existing Wi-Fi communications environments, enabling detection of movement and respiration.

◆Selection and appraisals
Achieving spatial perception through a new concept of using the multipath waves of Wi-Fi as sensors, this technology enables detection of human movement and respiration in a space without sensors or wearables. Having resilience to obstacles, and simultaneous use with multiple spatial recognition engines in sync, a lot can be expected.

■Semi-Grand Prix

NICHICON CORPORATION （Booth Location H119）

◆Awarded product
Tribrid energy storage system

◆Product overview
The Tribrid energy storage system is a brand-new ecosystem that connects solar cells, batteries and other EV (electric vehicle) large-capacity batteries. Not only does this system enable the use and storage of electricity generated by solar cells in the home, but also can drive electric vehicles. Not only that, but this 3-battery system is designed for linking the batteries for high-efficiency. The system provides power security by backing up power in both the high-capacity batteries of an EV with storage batteries in case there is a power outage.

◆Selection and appraisals
This is a unique ecosystem that　connects to 3 batteries - solar cells, storage batteries and the large-capacity storage of electric vehicle (EV) batteries. The system uses a DC link to minimize loss through a high-efficiency DC connection between the solar cells, storage batteries and EV batteries to efficiently move electric power between the batteries. This makes it possible to use both the storage battery and the large capacity EV battery as backup when there is a power outage. Due for commercialization in 2018, this system is expected to promote safe and secure household battery usage.

Home & Lifestyle Innovation Category

■Grand Prix

SHARP CORPORATION （Booth Location H117）

◆Awarded product
LCD TV　AQUOS 8K LC-70X500

◆Product overview
The LC-70X500 released ahead of the commercial 8K broadcasts, which is planned to start in December 2018, is an 8K LCD television with a high-definition, high-image quality 8K-resolution panel. This is the top of the AQUOS series, and is a consumer television with an 8K high resolution LCD panel providing a resolution 16 times that of full high vision.

◆Selection and appraisals
With these products, Sharp is leading the way in the market for 8K broadcasting ahead of other manufacturers with consumer-oriented LCD televisions providing 8K-resolution at 16 times the resolution of full high vision. In addition to use as domestic televisions, the company has created opportunities to expand the use of 8K as a total strategy aiming at increasing demand in areas such as healthcare, office work, security and science.

■Semi-Grand Prix

Panasonic AGE-FREE Co., Ltd.（Booth Location C075）

◆Awarded product
Rise Assisting Robot “Resyone Plus”

◆Product overview
Resyone Plus is a care assistance robot that features a new concept integrating electric nursing beds and fully reclining wheelchairs. With part of the bed transforming to become a wheelchair, the system enables safe and simple movement and boarding assistance even by a single nurse with the patient enjoying the reclined sleeping position. This reduces physical and mental stress on both the caregiver and the patient, and contributes to the QOL of patients through greater mobilization opportunities.

◆Selection and appraisals
The product’s original link mechanism technology enables the world first bed-wheelchair separation and integration functions. This mechanism of where a part of the bed transforming to become a wheelchair created a new method of mobility and a new product category. This is the first technology in the world to acquire the international safety standard certification for life support robots (ISO 13482), realizing a high level of safety at a low price as a human-care robot. In a world confronted with an aging population and lower birth rates, this technology holds promise as an initiative to solve social problems such as reducing the burden of mobility assistance.


STANLEY ELECTRIC Co., LTD. （Booth Location D360）

◆Awarded product
Ultra Narrow Light Angle 2.5°Type LED Floodlight

◆Product overview
This is an unparalleled ultra-narrow beam 2.5X LED spotlight that uses the company’s unique optical design fostered through its high output device and automotive headlight technologies. This technology enables illumination up to 1 km away from only a single device with only 25 Watts of power. The technology was presented with the 2017 Award of Excellence in the US IES Illumination Award for its light up of the Niagara Falls.

◆Selection and appraisals
Utilizing original optical technologies Stanley has developed for use with high-power devices and car headlamps, this unique LED spotlight realizes a very narrow beam angle of 2.5 degrees. This LED lighting is capable of illuminating objects as far away as 1 kilometer but consumes just 25 watts per unit. It also offers excellent light utilization efficiency of over 90% with its advanced optical design and precision optical lenses. The LED lighting has been adopted for lighting the Niagara Falls in North America for its excellent energy consumption; it offers 60% power savings against conventional Xenon lamp light source. The LED lighting received international acclaim, including the spotlight installation at the Niagara Falls won the 2017 IES Award of Excellence. Along with its economical features, the LED lighting has been assessed for its originality in lens design and application to entertainment.

Innovation Technology and Software Category

■Grand Prix

CASIO COMPUTER CO.,LTD. （Booth Location H093）

◆Awarded product
World's first Electromagnetic Radiation Color Molding Technology

◆Product overview
This is electromagnetic radiation formation technology that enables the world’s first material creation of detailed molecular carbon surface formations for materials, design and tactile development using unique digital sheets. This is a next-generation technology that enables super high-speed manufacturing of 20 to 100 times of the conventional, and reduces developmental costs from 1/50th to 1/100th of the conventional.

◆Selection and appraisals
This technology enables the world’s first material creation of detailed molecular carbon surface formations for materials, design and tactile development using unique digital sheets. Electromagnetic radiation formation technology enables embossing, contoured shapes and grain expression from 20 to 100 times of the conventional. This technology was appraised for its costs reductions from 1/50th to 1/100th due to the elimination of conventional metallic molds and dies, high freedom of design and dramatic potential for cost-reduction.

■Semi-Grand Prix

ROHM Co., Ltd. （Booth Location D090）

◆Awarded product
World First Op-Amp without noise countermeasure for Automotive

◆Product overview
Issues increasing with the computerization of automobiles are countermeasures against noise that may cause circuit malfunction. Rohm has developed an op-amp with overwhelming noise tolerance characteristics, for various automotive applications, from basic systems such as EV/HEV engines to automotive electronics such as sensors. In addition to maintaining high reliability, this technology contributes to reducing the load on design, reducing design time and greatly increasing compactness by eliminating the need for new circuit design for noise countermeasures for the first time in the world.

◆Selection and appraisals
In light of the importance of noise suppression measures to counter circuit errors in automotive electronics, this technology achieves dramatic results. This is the world’s first product that negates the need for new circuit design to suppress noise. The product was selected for its contribution to greater reliability and the approach to reduce the steps to application design by optimizing the 3 elements of circuit design, chip layout, and process.

Connected Industries Category

■Grand Prix

NEC Corporation （Booth Location C033）

◆Awarded product
A new computing style with Hearable

◆Product overview
Looking ahead to the near future in which people and AI or robotics work in harmony, the “hearable” technology has been designed to link people and objects with AI without hindering their movements in physical space. By inserting a “hearable” device into the ear, this technology captures the information of “who is” “where at” and “in what situation”, enabling provision of a hands-free, non-sighted internet experience.

◆Selection and appraisals
The technology proposes a range of solutions by combining perception of user information, acquisition and operation of information without the user having t to be aware of a UI. With the idea of “plugging in (inserting)” the device into the ear, both the perception and the hands are freed, which enables the acquisition of information through the hearing as necessary during work and operations, and enables interaction through utterances. As well as enabling the determination of the individuals using the technology, it also has functions for continually sensing human kinetics and speech. Completely different from the conventional information environment where display, keyboard and mouse are used, this technology has been appraised for its ability to realize a completely new UI and UX. It was also highly evaluated for its potential to be a new device that can acquire and exchange information while people are working on site in the AI-linked work scenarios that is expected to become more of a commonplace in the future.

■Semi-Grand Prix

Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. （Booth Location D157）

◆Awarded product
Piezoelectric Line

◆Product overview
The voltage line is an organic piezo electric film flexible tension sensor placed in the insulator of a coaxial line. As a highly sensitive force, strain sensor that enables output of 4V per 1N of changes in tension, the technology enables detection of pulse and so on. With excellent flexibility up to details of φ0.4mm, and arbitrary length can be cut for sensing in 3 dimensions on varying surfaces. The sensor does not consume any power while on standby, contributing to low power consumption.

◆Selection and appraisals
As voltage is generated by pulling force (tension) and there is no need for standby power, this is a sensor that can be used in bends, in contact, and in vibration. By attaching it to the surface of a chair, this product holds the prospects for wide-ranging uses in infrastructure such as measuring the pulse and temperature of persons due to its non-pyroelectric properties that do not change with dielectric polarization (surface charge) due to delicate changes in temperature.

Open Innovation Category

FUJITSU Limited （Booth Location C168）

◆Awarded product
Wearable and hands-free speech translation terminal

◆Product overview
This product is a world leading handheld speech translation device that can be worn. The device enables hands-free voice translation, and is the size of a credit card.

◆Selection and appraisals
A high-sensitivity microphone and advanced noise suppression enables voice recognition at a distance in a compact, wearable speech translation unit. Enabled by a hands-free technology that identifies speakers based on sound direction/audio compression synchronization technology, the device can be used in medical workplaces and jobs where the hands are easily tied up. Enabling up to 95% detection of conversation up to 80 cm away, with noise up to 60 dBA (equivalent to the outpatient reception in a major hospital), this technology was appraised for its practicality in such tough environments and it’s compactness.

Review Panel’s Special Award

DISCO Corporation （Booth Location D067）

◆Awarded product
KABRA (High-Speed SiC Wafer Production with Greatly Reduced Material Loss: KABRA Laser Slicing Technology Developed through New Processing Method)

◆Product overview
Holding the promise of the next generation powered device material, a laser slice technology that enables new methods with silicon carbide (SiC) wafer technology for advanced and increased production (huge reductions in materials loss) achieving about 4 times that of the conventional production. The technology contributes to the reduction in the production costs of SiC wafers and SiC wafer devices and their spread.

◆Selection and appraisals
This technology dramatically reduces the time for processing of initial cutting of wafers from a φ4-inch SIC ingot from about 2 hours to about 15 minutes. It also suppresses distortions generated in wire processing, and does away with lapping to greatly reduce initial and running costs. The technology has been appraised for dramatically raising the cost performance to 1.5 times that of the conventional in terms of extracting wafers from an ingot.

CEATEC AWARD 2017 Category Awards Ceremony

Category Awards Ceremony
　October 5 (Thu) from 11:30
　CEATEC JAPAN 2017 Innovation Talk Stage (Exhibition Hall, Makuhari Messe)

◆CEATEC AWARD 2017 Panel of Judges(in no particular order)
Toshiyuki Nakata (Vice President, Information Processing Society of Japan)
Etsuko Ishikawa (Director, International Coordination and Publicity,
Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers)
Akira Nishiyama (Vice President, Japan Society of Applied Physics)
Kohji Mitani (Vice President, Institute of Image Information and Television Engineers)
Seiichi Shin (Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan)
Tetsuya Muroyama (Commentator, Japan Broadcasting Corporation)
Waichi Sekiguchi (Editorial Writer, Nikkei)
Tetsushi Hayashi (Chief Research Officer, Nikkei Business Publications, Inc.)
Makoto Nishisaka (Deputy General Manager, Industrial Technology Department, IT Media Corporation)
Asuka Yasaki (Oath Japan KK/ Senior Chief Editor, Engadget Japan)


The latest information and details are available on the official website:
http://www.ceatec.com